South Korea’s exports of dried seaweed, or “gim,” grew 16 percent on-year during the first eight months of 2023 on solid overseas demand in line with the popularity of Korean food and culture, the oceans ministry said Tuesday.

Outbound shipments of gim came to US$540.68 million in the January-August period, up from $466.1 million from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

In terms of volume, the country sold 24,862 tons of gim products during the cited period, up 16.4 percent from a year earlier.

Dried seaweed, called gim in Korean, is usually roasted with sesame oil and fine salt to be served as a side dish in Korean dining. Snacks made of gim have gained popularity among foreigners in recent years.

Gim is the No. 1 export item among fisheries products for South Korea, and the country’s dried seaweed has accounted for around 70 percent of the total global market.

Last year, the country exported the largest ever volume of 30,470 tons of gim products, though the value fell slightly to $647.55 million from the previous year’s $692.91 million, a record high.

The United States, China and Japan are major export destinations, the ministry said.

In the face of heated global competition, the government put forth a set of supportive measures with a goal of boosting global sales of gim to $1 billion by 2027.

Under the five-year plan, the government vowed to expand research and development projects for new seeds that can adjust well to rising water temperatures and for various high-quality products.

It plans to devise tailored measures to diversify export markets and to launch various programs overseas to make more people familiar with the Korean name of gim.

The government seeks to introduce an exchange market dedicated to gim items in a move to ensure their stable prices and smooth distribution.

Source: Yonhap News Agency